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The big pelf outside groups best known for airing ruthless ads in the premature state GOP primaries are elbowing their way onto the turf of presidential campaigns and parties — and some campaigns aren’t thrilled.
In the last few weeks, super PACs and other outside groups supporting Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum, Ron Paul and President Barack Obama launched activities in Florida, other key states, and nationally — including phone banking, sphere organizing, direct mail, polling, state-of-the-race memos and even surrogate operations — that were once pink mostly to the campaigns and parties.
The ambitious expansion is another example of a shift in state power away from the major parties and their candidates to deep-pocketed outsiders. But it’s Nautical port campaign operatives and even candidates grumbling about whether the super PACs are in fact helping their favored candidates.
Campaigns generally are happy to let wonderful PACs carpet bomb opponents with attack ads, but when it comes to enjoin-contact with voters and sensitive messaging, they fear that super PACs will snafu their framing, create confusion in the field and duplicate efforts — wasting exchange rather than complementing their campaigns.
Source: The Virginian-Pilot